Why not take a fashion risk by Jamie Pearl
 10"x8" ($40) | 14"x11" ($85) | 20"x16" ($275) | 30"x24" ($1,450) | 50"x40" ($5,300)
Weâve all been there: standing in front of the mirror, turning this way and that, holding ten different outfits on hangers in front of our bodies and growing more unsure by the minute. Our debut edition with 26 year-old New York City-based photographer Jamie Pearl is the antidote to our worriesâWhy not take a fashion risk soothes our trepidation, our inner âcan you REALLY pull this off?â critic.  Â
In 2018, Pearl was visiting the famous artist enclave of Joshua Tree, California, and she stumbled upon this sign. Instinctively, she knew it was time to shoot her shotâŚon 35mm film. âMy aim was to capture this whimsical moment where the town's creative spirit met a call to self-expressionâ, she explains. In capturing what could be an overlooked scene, she elevates and points to one of the most seminal and profound parts of being not only an artist or creative person, but an individual: the second we decide to choose ourselves instead of fear.  Â
Steeped in the practice of portraiture (Pearl focuses on editorial and beauty photography, as well as travel and documentary photography), portraying what is bold about the human spirit is a thread running through all her work, fashion-oriented or not. Pearl, who is energized by rawness and authenticity, noticed this signage on the bottom of a mirror because...of course she did! What is a more raw and authentic theme than that of the universal battle between doubt and confidence we fight in our heads? Â Â
This image, of course, also includes glimpses of the eclectic, colorful interior reflected by both the mirror itself and the cameraâs lens as a whole. Thereâs a worn, luxurious velvet burgundy couch piled high with vintage pillows in contrasting colors. The walls are art-filled and lime-washed. The mirror is perched on that most humble and universal of building materials: a cinder block; contrasting that rough concrete is a gold velour â70s ottoman, a slick satin-y red and blue striped curtain, and a rough, fuzzy brown floral rug.  Â
Pearlâs work sings not just in hue but in texture. The whole rainbow is thereâand with the confidence bestowed upon the viewer, so too is a world of possibilities for self-expression. Indeedâand especially because itâs the tail end of New York Fashion WeekâWhy not take a fashion risk?Â